A slow burn, beautifully written tale of dark, oppressive times.
My feelings about this book are a real anomaly, the writing itself is exquisite and beautifully manipulated to portray some very dark times in political history. The pace generally was slower than I would have liked, understandably though as the threads of different eras are drawn together.
Laure is a quiet, reserved character, who has established The Museum of Broken Promises in Paris. A fascinating concept, displaying exhibits donated by people who want to demonstrate loss, disappointment and betrayal. Each item carries its own unique backstory and explanation & I particularly enjoyed the parts of the story where new exhibits were unwrapped, or when patrons brought them in hoping for acceptance into the museum.
The story switches from Paris ‘now’, back to 1985/6 when Laure, was an au pair to a Czechoslovakian family, based in Paris originally before returning, along with Laure, to Prague.
Here the story portrays the darkness, fear and desperation of living in a tightly controlled communist country. Running alongside this is the naivety and innocence of the young Laure as she embarks upon a challenging love affair with a ‘pop star’ / musician and dissident Tomas. The description throughout clearly depicts the harshness of the setting whilst bringing to life the passion and love between Laure and Tomas.
The story also jumps to Laure working for the government in Berlin, after the end of the Cold War and we see her meet up again with Petr, her former employer and a ‘trusted’ member of the Czech communist party.
There are a lot of unknown threads to the story, hints as to what has been torturously unknown for many years, and we can reflect on how life and circumstances have changed the characters. I will be reflecting back over the threads and the ending for sometime. A slow burn, beautifully written tale of dark, oppressive times.
Laure is a quiet, reserved character, who has established The Museum of Broken Promises in Paris. A fascinating concept, displaying exhibits donated by people who want to demonstrate loss, disappointment and betrayal. Each item carries its own unique backstory and explanation & I particularly enjoyed the parts of the story where new exhibits were unwrapped, or when patrons brought them in hoping for acceptance into the museum.
The story switches from Paris ‘now’, back to 1985/6 when Laure, was an au pair to a Czechoslovakian family, based in Paris originally before returning, along with Laure, to Prague.
Here the story portrays the darkness, fear and desperation of living in a tightly controlled communist country. Running alongside this is the naivety and innocence of the young Laure as she embarks upon a challenging love affair with a ‘pop star’ / musician and dissident Tomas. The description throughout clearly depicts the harshness of the setting whilst bringing to life the passion and love between Laure and Tomas.
The story also jumps to Laure working for the government in Berlin, after the end of the Cold War and we see her meet up again with Petr, her former employer and a ‘trusted’ member of the Czech communist party.
There are a lot of unknown threads to the story, hints as to what has been torturously unknown for many years, and we can reflect on how life and circumstances have changed the characters. I will be reflecting back over the threads and the ending for sometime. A slow burn, beautifully written tale of dark, oppressive times.